


Secret Santa (2020)

by Hideki_LaShae



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Little Dragon Secret Santa, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:48:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28319955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hideki_LaShae/pseuds/Hideki_LaShae
Summary: Yugi and Atem arranged a secret Santa gift exchange as a way of matchmaking Katsuya and Seto.
Relationships: Atem & Mutou Yuugi, Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Secret Santa (2020)

Title: Secret Santa 2020  
Author: Hideki LaShae

Spoilers: none  
Genre: romance   
Rating: PG-13 (Language and mentions of sex)  
Summary: Yugi and Atem arranged a secret Santa gift exchange as a way of matchmaking Katsuya and Seto.  
Pairing: Yugi/Atem, Jounouchi/Kaiba  
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any characters thereof.  
A/N: Gift fic for Silvershadowfire at Little Dragon.

Secret Santa 2020  
By Hideki LaShae

Seto Kaiba let out an exaggerated sigh as he looked at the piece of paper he'd just pulled from the envelope handed to him by his longtime dueling rival, Atem King, known by his friends as the Pharaoh. "Is this for real?"

"As a matter of fact, it is."

"Why?"

"Yugi…"

Seto rubbed his forehead. Any answer that started with Yugi Motou, his other longtime rival, always gave him a migraine. He took a deep breath and readied himself for the answer. "Yugi what?"

"Well, you know how with all the pandemic lockdowns money has become tight for a lot of people. I'm sure it has at least affected your company's profit margin." Atem looked out the office window at the completely empty amusement park.

Seto glowered. "You know it has. Darn governor won't let us reopen the park regardless of all the precautions we've suggested implementing!"

Atem nodded. "Yugi thought it might be better to have a Secret Santa gift exchange this year instead of having the gang buy gifts for everyone. And the fifty dollar limit would ensure no one spends more than they could afford while still being able to get a decent gift."

"And how does he suppose this gift exchange happens? We can't gather in groups larger than ten."

"Mail and video calls mostly. Ryou and Bakura have been locked down at Ryou's father's house in England. The Ishtars are all in Egypt. Anzu and Mai are stuck in New York. Honda and Otogi are currently in quarantine and won't be released before the new year." One look at Seto's raised eyebrow had Atem continuing, "Otogi tested positive after he went to that party in Mexico."

Seto shook his head in disgust. "I told him going to a night club in Mexico was a stupid idea."

"So did I, but he doesn't listen to anyone. Yugi was actually thinking of a small gathering. You and Mokuba, of course, myself, Shizuka, and Jounouchi. So there would only be six people present."

"That would be acceptable."

"So I can tell Yugi you'll come to his Christmas eve dinner?"

"Yes, now if there's nothing further, I have five million more emails than normal thanks to the remote workplace…"

"That's everything." Atem left the office with a smirk on his lips. He sent a mental message to Yugi. /That was easier than I expected./

/Does he suspect anything?/

/Not a thing. Getting him to finally admit to Jounouchi how he feels is going to be easy./

/I hope so. I really want Jounouchi to have what he wants for Christmas. And there's Jou! Talk later.../

Atem stepped into the elevator to go down to the ground floor of the mostly empty Kaiba Corp building.

:::

Yugi Motou smiled as his best friend, Katsuya Jounouchi, entered the Kame Game Shop. "Hi, Jou! I'm so glad you could stop by on your way to work."

Katsuya kept his distance and readjusted the scarf he was using instead of a face mask. "You said it was important. Is everything okay?"

Yugi nodded and then proceeded to retighten his clear plastic mask which shifted every time he nodded too emphatically. "Everything is fine. I just wanted to give you this sooner rather than later. You haven't done any Christmas shopping yet, have you?" He placed an envelope on the corner of the counter and stepped back away from it.

"Just getting a few stocking stuffers for Shizuka." Katsuya took the envelope and opened it. His eyes widened. "What?"

"It's a Secret Santa gift exchange. Atem thought it might be best since money is so tight for everyone. We took turns drawing names for everyone. I don't know who you got."

"This is actually a good idea."

"Thanks. The exchange would be Christmas eve via video call for our friends who can't be here in person, or in person at my dinner party. There's an invite to dinner in there too."

Katsuya nodded. "OK. It sounds great. I've got to get going to work now though, so I'll talk to you later."

"Have a good evening!" Yugi waved as Katsuya headed out into the chilly afternoon air. /It's all set, Atem. Jou and Kaiba will be exchanging gifts on Christmas eve./

/You are sure Jounouchi has a crush on Kaiba, right?/

/I am as certain of that as you are of Kaiba having a crush on Jou./

The door opened, and Atem stepped into the shop. He looked around the otherwise empty store and sighed. "It feels so wrong to have no customers in the store this close to Christmas."

"I know. Luckily we had the web ordering system in place last year or we'd really be in trouble. At least with mail orders and curbside pickup we're making some sales."

"The Kaiba Corp exclusives are also helpful, but I won't thank Kaiba in person."

"I've already sent him a thank you card, and I added your seal to it. So… Should we head to Target and see if we can figure out what Jou will buy for Kaiba?" Yugi's violet eyes twinkled with mischief.

"You mean spy on him to see if Kaiba shows up again?"

Yugi shrugged. "It's not my fault if Kaiba seems to be stalking Jou."

"Get your coat. It's cold out."

Yugi ducked down beneath the counter and emerged wearing his coat. He stepped outside with Atem and locked the shop door before they walked down the street towards the bus stop. It wouldn't take long to reach the local Target store, and they wouldn't even need to transfer buses. As he tucked his scarf tighter around his chin, he thought about the dual benefit of spying on Jou, picking out a gift for his own Secret Santa. He'd use his smartphone to place the actual order and pick it up without Atem present, but he'd get an idea of what his crush wanted.

"Are you getting too cold? Your face is reddening."

"I'm ok. We're almost to the bus stop. I'll warm up on the bus ride to Target."

"Should we look into getting you a new coat while we're there?"

"This coat is fine. It will last me another year or so, and I can always just wear a warm sweater underneath. I'm not really that cold." Yugi stopped walking as they reached the bus stop. He sighed. "And we can't afford new coats. We have to save our money for the Secret Santa."

Atem shoved his hands into his pockets as the bus turned the corner and pulled to a stop. He pulled out his bus card and followed Yugi onto the bus, swiping the card before finding a seat. /How bad are our finances?/

/Not as bad as they could be, but no frivolous spending. If we can't eat it or we don't need it for the shop, we shouldn't buy it./ Yugi averted his eyes. /We own the shop, so there's only the taxes to worry about, but we have a deferment due to the pandemic. We're spending more on utilities than we're bringing into the shop. I've taken on an investor so we can keep the doors open.../

/Kaiba?/

/That's why we get the Kaiba Corp exclusives./ Yugi pulled the cord to signal the driver to stop to let them off. He rose from his seat when the bus stopped and followed Atem onto the sidewalk. /So we're surviving, for now./

/Because of Kaiba./ Atem shook his head in disbelief. /This I will have to thank him for./

Yugi smiled. /You already did. I sent him a thank you note and used your seal!/

/I'm beginning to think I need to hide that seal from you, Yugi, but thank you./ Atem draped his arm over Yugi's shoulders as they walked through the parking lot to Target's front doors.

Yugi reddened. He pulled his winter hat down further to disguise his trademarked hair and removed his mask to tuck it into his coat pocket. The trick about spying on a friend during a pandemic was not to get caught with a mask down. He picked up a disposable mask and a shopping cart and started walking with Atem beside him.

:::

Katsuya struggled to de-pant the mannequin lying on the floor.

"If that's the way you undress your lovers, it's no wonder you're a habitual bachelor."

Katsuya groaned and looked over his shoulder at Seto. He couldn't see the smirk he knew the other must be wearing behind his mask, but he did take a moment to admire the long sleeved, Christmas red polo shirt and medium wash blue jeans that his self-proclaimed rival wore. "I'll have you know I'm much gentler when undressing a lover. After all, they have something this mannequin doesn't have."

Seto crossed his arms over his chest and quirked an eyebrow. "Really? And what is that?"

Katsuya put his knee in the artificial male's un-anatomically correct groin and gave the too tight pants a sharp tug down. He saw Seto wince out of the corner of his eye.

Seto shifted uncomfortably.

"Flexibility."

"What?"

Katsuya stood up and stretched his back before turning to face Seto. "Real people have flexible legs and knees and ankles. Abuser here doesn't."

Seto's eyes narrowed. "Abuser? You named the mannequin Abuser?"

Katsuya looked around to make sure there were no other customers around. When he only saw a couple comparing formula cans halfway down the department, he continued, "Not me. The girls named him and Pervert over there, but even though I didn't name them, the names still apply. I can't even tell you how many Pervert has groped me while I've been changing him."

Seto's eyes narrowed even further, and he practically growled, "What do you mean? It groped you?"

Katsuya shook his head. The couple had finished perusing the formula and moved closer to look at diapers. He grabbed the pants he intended to put on the mannequin and bent down to grab its feet, giving Seto an excellent view of his backside. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to get him dressed."

Seto huffed and turned to go. "This conversation is not over."

"Fine, fine. We'll talk about it later." Katsuya grunted as he wrestled with the unforgiving fabric and even stiffer mannequin.

Seto headed into the women's clothing department and sneered at the sight of the completely unfolded sweater table with the rolling folding table beside it. Stricken with OCD, and a desire to buy a sweater for his elderly secretary as thanks for all her extra work during this economic crisis, he grabbed the folding table, a sweater, and started to fold.

"Hey, are you working Friday night?" The woman with blond roots and rainbow colored hair appeared as if from nowhere on the other side of the table.

Seto blinked.

"Are you working Friday night? My family is having our Christmas early, so I need someone to work for me."

"And that has... what... to do with me?"

"You're the new guy in clothing, right? Drake? Your name tag is missing, BTW. Are you working Friday? Could you cover for me? I'm supposed to be helping Joey set up the family sweater shop."

Seto looked over his shoulder in the direction of the men's department where Katsuya probably still fought with the mannequin. "I'm not working on Friday night. I suppose I could help Jou…"

"Great! I'm Debbie, BTW! I'll post the shift right now so you can pick it up." The woman pulled out her phone and started tapping at the screen.

Seto turned back towards the woman and saw the app open on her phone. He pulled out his own phone and smirked behind his mask as he started tapping his own screen. After a moment, he tucked his phone back into his pocket.

"Wow! You already confirmed it. Thanks, Drake!" Debbie put her phone away and skipped off.

Seto muttered to himself as he finished folding the table and proceeded to select a sweater. "Did she seriously say BTW instead of by the way?"

:::

/Well that was convenient./

/What was convenient?/ Yugi unwound his scarf and took off his coat to hang the two objects together on the coat hook by the door to the apartment over the game shop.

"That woman who asked Kaiba to take her shift. It was very convenient timing."

Yugi smiled. "It was, wasn't it?"

Atem blinked. "Yugi… Did you have something to do with her asking Kaiba to cover for her?"

"Really, you were standing beside me the whole time. How could I have planned that?"

"Yugi?"

"OK, so I know a bit about Debbie from talking to Jou. He tries not to complain about his employees, but sometimes he slips. Debbie isn't very responsible. She's not there more often than she is. As for her confusing Kaiba for Drake, well… I did mention to her on a previous visit that I was looking for the new clothing specialist named Drake. I was playing a practical joke on her. There is no Drake."

"Well, it was well played. Putting them together to work will really help them bond."

"I thought so. I want them both to be happy, and I know they like each other. If they can work together, then maybe they can work together as a couple."

"We work very well together." Atem brushed a lock of Yugi's hair away from his face, and his own cheeks reddened.

Yugi blushed. "What are you implying?"

"Yugi, would it damage our relationship if one of us were to take on a lover?"

Yugi gasped and jerked away from Atem. /What?/ Pain surged through the mental link they shared. "You want a lover?"

Atem sent a wave of calming emotions through their link. "Only if I can get the right one."

Yugi took a deep breath and retreated to his own mind for a moment, just long enough to slam the door of his soul room and seal his emotions inside. He looked at Atem with a smile. "You are my very best friend, Atem, so I won't lie to you. Our relationship will change when one of us gets a lover, because we won't be able to always be there for each other. There will be times when the lover must come first, but I don't think that will damage our relationship. So feel free to pursue the one you want. I hope you get your lover."

"Yugi…" Atem took a step towards Yugi.

Yugi turned away. "I'll start dinner. Instant curry okay with you?"

"Anything you want is fine…"

:::

Seto adhered the 'Drake' sticker from the label maker over the 'New Team Member' on the magnetic name tag. Then he used the magnet to attach the name tag to the shirt pocket of his long sleeved red Oxford. He grabbed a walkie-talkie and one of the hand-held devices used by the employees before heading out of the employee only area and towards the corner of women's clothing where he'd spotted Katsuya when he first entered the store. "What do you need help with?"

Katsuya lowered the binder he held, and his mask puffed out as he exhaled a long breath. "I need to not be bothered when I'm at work, but I'm not sure that's possible where you're concerned." He turned to look at Seto and froze. "What…?"

"Hi, I'm covering for Debbie this weekend…"

Katsuya dropped the binder. "Huh? How…? Why…? What…?"

"Debbie asked me to cover her shift, so here I am. She saw me wearing red and assumed I worked here…"

"You can't just take someone's shift! There are laws…"

"I'm a legitimate employee of Target. I punched into the time clock, all the proper paperwork has been filed with HR…"

Katsuya sighed. "You hacked the computer system, didn't you?"

Seto glanced to the side. "I can neither confirm or deny."

Katsuya rubbed his head as he knelt down to pick up the binder again. "This is unbelievable."

"Is it a problem that I'm here?"

Katsuya looked directly into Seto's eyes. "I don't blame you for this."

"Let me help you. This isn't a joke. It's not a trick or a trap. I won't abandon you if you just let me help you."

Katsuya nodded. "All right. Let's do this then."

Seto nodded.

"Thank you."

"Now, what are we doing?" Seto stepped closer to Katsuya so he could see the binder.

"You'll probably regret agreeing to help me today. We need to change all the mannequins. So first we need to find this clothing in the correct sizes." Katsuya flipped a few pages and showed the pictures to Seto. "We'll start here."

"Is that where we are?"

Katsuya shook his head. "No, but they're the hardest ones to change. It's better to start with them and save the easier ones for last when we're tired."

"Lead the way." Seto looked around and nodded at a man who stood nearby browsing through the family matching pajama sets. His lips didn't move as he whispered, "Atem is watching us."

Katsuya nodded and guided Seto to a different section of women's where they set about wandering to look for the different pieces of clothing.

/You'll be glad to know they're getting along, Yugi. There's no obvious flirting going on, but I think this was a good idea./

/Atem, I thought you were shopping for your Secret Santa, not spying on Jou and Kaiba!/

/I'm multi-talented. I can do both./ Atem left the family pajamas and wandered towards men's clothing. He'd actually do some shopping then come back and check on the hopeful couple before he left.

:::

Seto groaned as he sat down in the break room and removed his mask. "I am never moving again."

"You don't mean that." Katsuya chuckled as he opened the takeout bag and divided the containers between their two tables, carefully placed six feet apart.

"Yes, I do."

"Your family will miss you if you never move again. Besides, all you really need is a nice long bath." Katsuya bought two bottles of soda from the vending machine and placed one in front of Seto before sitting down at his own table. "I know what you mean though. It's days like this that make me wish I had a hot tub or a jacuzzi."

"I have both. Big enough for two."

Katsuya blushed and glanced around at the otherwise empty room. "Are you inviting me on a date?"

Seto met Katsuya's eyes and nodded his head. "Yes. I'd like to enjoy them with you."

"I'd like that too."

"Good, then tonight you come home with me." Seto smiled at Katsuya before opening his takeout box. His stomach growled loudly as the scent of the stir-fried vegetables and noodles wafted up his nose. He lifted the fork that came with the food and dug in like a starving man.

Katsuya pulled out his phone and sent off a quick text to his group of friends. Katsuya Jounouchi: Hot date tonight. Emergency contact only.

"Hurry up and eat. We only have half an hour before we head back out."

"Yeah, I know. I was just hanging a coat hanger on the door." Katsuya set his phone down and opened his own box.

Seto quirked an eyebrow. "Coat hanger?"

"Metaphorically speaking. It's the universal 'do not disturb' signal."

"Good. I don't want to be disturbed tonight. I want your undivided attention."

Katsuya blushed and dug into his dinner. "Hurry and eat."

:::

Yugi looked at the text message on his phone and smiled. "Jou has a date tonight! I wonder with whom?"

Atem chuckled. "We're good at this matchmaking game."

"They don't call us the King of Games for nothing."

"Do you have plans to do your holiday shopping tonight or should we watch a movie?"

"We can watch a movie. I ordered my gifts online. I'll make us some popcorn while you find a movie." Yugi headed into the kitchen.

:::

Katsuya arrived early on Christmas eve with a bag full of brightly wrapped presents that he slipped under the tree before heading into the kitchen to help Yugi prepare dinner.

"OK, Jou. I've been patient long enough. How was your hot date?"

"I've barely gotten inside, and you're already grilling me?" Katsuya blushed.

"Hello, Jou! Merry Christmas eve. Now tell me about your date!" Yugi poured cream over the layer of thinly sliced potatoes in his casserole dish.

"Well, it was very hot…"

"Jou…"

"Seriously! He's gorgeous and we spent half the night relaxing in his hot tub. Then we moved to the bed."

Yugi gasped and dropped the stack of potato slices he was trying to layer on top of the cream. "Was this your first date with this guy? Isn't that moving too fast?"

"We didn't have sex. I'd just had a long night at work changing the mannequins. I didn't have the energy for anything more than cuddling and conversation, and he didn't say if I fell asleep in the middle of the conversation, but I think I did." Katsuya took over layering the potatoes into the casserole dish. He checked the recipe book before adding a sprinkling of cheese and chives and more cream. "I had a great time."

"I'm glad. You deserve to be happy."

"So do you…" Katsuya's voice trailed off when he saw Yugi flinch. "What's wrong?"

Yugi closed his eyes and focused on Atem to discern his whereabouts. He sighed as he opened his eyes. "He wants a lover."

"Yeah?"

"He won't tell me who he wants, but I know it's not me…"

"Damn. You're sure?"

Yugi clenched his eyes tight. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound emerged.

Katsuya sighed. "Damn."

Yugi opened his eyes and took a shuddering breath. "Nothing has come of it yet, so… Moving on, are you okay finishing those potatoes? I need to prepare the main course."

"Yeah. I've got the sides covered. Starch is almost complete anyway except for baking."

"It can go into the oven with the ham whenever."

"I thought you said you needed to prepare…"

"The hens. We're having two main dishes. Cornish hens and ham. I only picked up four hens." Yugi washed his hands and took the packages of small chickens from the refrigerator. "I figured we'd cut them in half and have ham as well to make sure everyone had enough to eat. Besides, what we don't eat tonight, Atem and I can have tomorrow."

"Where is he anyway? I expected him to be helping cook."

"I sent him out to buy drinks. His attempts to help me cook haven't gone as smoothly as I would like, and I wanted us all to enjoy this meal."

"Understood!" Katsuya slid the potatoes into the oven beside the ham and closed the oven door. "Are we cutting the birds in half first?"

"I hadn't thought about that."

"I'll make up the stuffing to lay in the bottom of the roaster, you can cut the hens in half to lay on top of it."

"Perfect! That should keep them nice and moist."

Katsuya and Yugi worked together to prepare the evening meal. They barely noticed when Atem returned and filled the fridge with the beverages Yugi insisted upon, but neither could miss the arrival of Katsuya's younger sister, Shizuka Kawai.

Shizuka entered the kitchen with her arms full of bags that she pushed into her brother's arms so she could embrace Yugi. "I know you said I didn't need to bring anything for dinner, but I couldn't come empty handed, and since I had to mail my Secret Santa gift, I brought dessert!"

Yugi laughed. "I thought you'd bring dessert if I told you not to bring anything, but I didn't want you to feel obligated."

Katsuya set the bags down on a clear spot of the counter. "What did you bring?"

Shizuka released Yugi and turned to crush Katsuya with her hug. "Don’t think I forgot about you, big brother!"

"I've missed you, sis! How was your trip?" Katsuya held on tight and took a deep breath to inhale his sister's familiar scent.

"Traffic across town was bad, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. You act as if I don't live with you!" Shizuka released Katsuya and pushed him away so she could unload the bags herself. "There's a touch of assembly that will be required for dessert, but it was a lot easier traveling with these bags of ingredients than it would have been an assembled Black Forest cake. The cake is already baked though, so it's mainly decorating I need to do. Where will I not be in your way?"

"Anywhere really. We're at the waiting for things to cook phase," replied Yugi.

"Great! Then you can help me decorate the cake."

:::

After a wonderful meal, and while digesting a bit before dessert, Yugi started a group video call with all their friends. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

A round of holiday greetings, in various languages, sounded through the living room.

"Did everyone receive their gifts in the mail?"

"Can we just get on with the opening of them?" Bakura King, formerly the Thief King Bakura to his friends, grumbled.

"Can you wait your turn?" Ryou Bakura wrapped his arm around Bakura's shoulder. "How did we want to do this, Yugi? By giver, receiver, or family group?"

Yugi stared blankly at his friends on the screen. "I hadn't thought about that."

"Well, I'm not waiting anymore!" Bakura grabbed the FedEx box from the table and slit the tape with a knife he pulled from who knows where. He opened the box and started pulling out a variety of peanut butter products that included two jars (one creamy and one extra chunky), cookies, candies (with and without chocolate), and snack crackers sandwiched together with peanut butter filling. "Peanut butter!!! And it's mine! ALL MINE!!!"

Ryou rubbed his temple with the hand that had previously been around his boyfriend. "Bakura, manners, please… Now what do you say?"

Bakura pouted as he looked at Ryou. "All right. Ours. I can share with you."

Ryou smiled. "I meant, thank you, Honda."

Bakura perked up. "You mean, you aren't asking me to share? Mine, all mine!"

As Bakura continued cackling in the background about his peanut butter, Shizuka suggested Ryou open his gift next.

Ryou took the box he'd received in the mail from a local store he sometimes shopped at in person but not by delivery, and he opened it to pull out an ornate tea set for two. "Oh, my! It's beautiful!"

"I'm not sure exactly how much it cost since the price was listed in British Pounds, so I hope I didn't go over the limit. It was so beautiful though and I thought you would like it." Isis Ishtar smiled.

"Oh, I love it! Thank you, Isis! Thank you very much!" Ryou squeaked and almost dropped the tea set when Bakura smeared some creamy peanut butter up his cheek.

"Mmm… Peanut butter Ryou, my absolute favorite thing." Bakura licked at the peanut butter.

"Bakura! We're on a call with our friends!"

Bakura froze for just a moment and glared at the group of people staring back at him from the screen. "You're right, Ryou. You I share with no one!" He reached over and ended their connection to the call.

"I guess they won't get to see what anyone else received," said Yugi.

"I don't think they cared," added Hiroto Honda. He turned away from the screen at a noise behind him, and he nodded. His attention returned to the group. "Thanks for the gifts, guys. But I've got to go. My sick baby needs me." He severed his connection.

The Ishtar family signed off next after opening their gifts when Marik mistakenly mistook the bottle of perfume sent to Isis from Mai as a bottle from his assortment of travel sized liquor bottles that Shizuka sent to him.

Mai Kujaku and Anzu Mazaki opened their gifts, the first bottle from a wine of the month subscription and a bubble bath assortment, and they rushed off to enjoy them together.

Yugi smiled as the screen he'd been watching his friends on went dark, and tears welled up in his eyes. "It seems everyone enjoyed themselves."

"Now that it's just the six of us, how should we open the gifts?" Mokuba Kaiba looked around at everyone.

"Let's do it by age. Youngest first. Go ahead, Mokuba. Tell us what you got." Atem found the gift bag under the tree with Mokuba's name on it and passed it to the young man.

"I sort of already know, but not specifically. Marik got me a three month subscription to a 'snacks of the world box'. I just don't know which country they sent first." Mokuba pulled a printed box from the bag. He opened the box and pulled out the explanation pamphlet. "First country, Japan!" He passed around the pamphlet so everyone could see what snacks he got without him disturbing the tetris like packing. Once he put the pamphlet back, he headed under the tree to grab the postal box with Shizuka's name on it. He passed it to her. "From Ryou."

Shizuka accepted the scissors Yugi gave her and carefully cut the tape. She opened the box to find a prettily wrapped present in vintage wrapping paper. She carefully examined the present which had no tape or ribbon holding it closed, relying on careful folds to contain the gift. She unfolded the paper and set it aside to use as scrapbook material later. She opened the box and pulled out a pair of fuzzy socks featuring her favorite character from the science fiction series she's sure she hadn't told anyone she watched. She blushed as she set them down and pulled out a long sleeved nightgown featuring the same character. "Ryou sent me pajamas…"

"Okay, big brother. It's your turn!" Mokuba searched under the tree and pulled out several small boxes that he passed to Seto. "It looks like your Secret Santa got a lot for you."

Katsuya blushed. "Open the blue one last."

Seto looked up at Katsuya in surprise. "You were my Secret Santa?"

Katsuya nodded.

A light blush graced Seto's cheeks as he opened the present decorated with Santa Claus in various positions as he left gifts under trees and in stockings. He found a small sample pack of different flavored coffee pods. The second present, wrapped in green wreath and Holly paper, revealed a similar sampler of tea pods, and the third present, in a silver and gold candy cane paper, held an assortment of hot chocolate pods. He finally opened the last gift, in a blue snowflake paper, and opened the plain cardboard box to pull out a green coffee mug with the words 'DOG DAD' written on each side in blue.

"I didn't know you had a dog, Kaiba," said Atem at the same time as Mokuba chimed in, "Cool! Are we getting a puppy?"

Seto and Katsuya looked at each other. Seto shook his head. "No, Mokuba, we're not getting a puppy. I already have a dog."

"I've never seen a dog!" Mokuba whined. "It's no fair not sharing!"

"You're entirely correct, Mokuba." Seto reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in gold. He held it out to Katsuya. "I was your Secret Santa as well."

Katsuya took the box and peeled away the paper. He opened the felt box and looked at the etched gold ring inside. He swallowed hard and looked up at Seto. "This couldn't have been in the price range Yugi dictated."

"You're right of course. I didn't pay anything for it. I did have a long conversation with your mother last month after the funeral. She intended to give this to you, but I asked her if I could give it to you instead."

Katsuya pulled out the ring.

"Is that grandfather's…?" Shizuka slid closer to Katsuya.

"Your mother's parents were married for sixty-two years before your grandmother passed away, and she had hoped for the same sort of longevity with your father. Unfortunately that didn't come to pass for her, but she wants to believe you'll have better luck when that time comes," said Seto.

"I hope I do." Katsuya slid the ring onto the ring finger of his left hand, but it didn't quite fit, so he pulled it off and placed it on his left middle finger instead. "I do."

Yugi gaped at his best friend. "Jou, did Kaiba just propose to you?"

Katsuya smiled and blushed. "I don't know." He slid from his seat and settled himself on the couch with Seto. He curled into Seto's side and looked lovingly into his eyes. "Do you want to go public with me?"

Seto wrapped his arm around Katsuya. "Every day of the year."

Katsuya glanced at Yugi and Atem. "We've been dating since last summer."

"I told you they liked each other."

"Okay, moving on with the gifts!" Mokuba grabbed a package and passed it to Yugi. "From me."

Yugi glanced under the tree where only one present remained. He smiled at Mokuba and opened the gift pulling out a heavy wool coat.

"Atem suggested it might be something you'd need even if you'd never ask for it."

"Thank you, Mokuba."

Atem reached under the tree and pulled out the last gift. "This is from you, Yugi?"

"Yes. It's something I thought you might want to share with your lover." Yugi rose quickly. "I'm going to make some cocoa and coffee for us to enjoy with dessert." He retreated to the kitchen before Atem could even open his present.

Atem sighed.

"You're an idiot." Seto glowered at Atem.

"Yes, I am…" Atem unwrapped the gift to find a cozy blanket, a popcorn bucket with packages of microwave popcorn and theater style boxes of M&Ms, and a Duel Monsters 'Choose Your Own Adventure' DVD game. He smiled to himself. "But I can fix this. I'll go help Yugi." He rose and headed into the kitchen. "Yugi, there's something I need to say, and you need to hear it."

Yugi pushed the button on the coffee pot to start it. "I don't want to…"

Atem grabbed Yugi's hand. "Please, listen. It's you."

Yugi hung his head and choked on a sob.

"You are the only person I want to be with! I want you to be my lover. There's never been anybody else, but I didn't want to damage our friendship if you didn't feel the same. Please, just answer one thing. Do you care for me even half as much as I love you?"

Tears rolled out of Yugi's eyes as he looked up and locked gazes with Atem. He closed his eyes for a moment to enter his mind and throw open the door of his soul room for a tsunami of love to encompass him. He opened his eyes again at the gasp from Atem's lips.

Atem smiled. "You do. Will you be my lover?"

"Yes!" Yugi leapt into Atem's arms. He pressed his lips to Atem's for just a moment before Atem kissed him fully.

Fifteen minutes later, each carrying three mugs, Yugi and Atem returned to the living room. Atem passed cups of coffee to Shizuka and Seto and sat down with his own cup of the bitter brew while Yugi handed Mokuba and Katsuya cups of hot cocoa.

"All right. I'll go cut the cake. Mokuba, will you help me bring it in?" Shizuka took a sip of coffee and stood to enter the kitchen with Mokuba following behind.

"So, how's it going?"

Yugi blushed.

"I told you they had crushes on each other."

"And I told you it would be a good idea to match them together by having them match us together."

Yugi and Atem shared a disbelieving look.

Katsuya took the mug of coffee from Seto's hand and passed him the hot cocoa. "Hey, don't look so surprised. I saw that look of disappointment when Atem passed you coffee."

Atem looked back and forth from Katsuya to Seto. "But he always drinks coffee."

"Except in the winter when hot cocoa is available." Katsuya snuggled into Seto's side and sipped the coffee.

Yugi looked confused. "Hot cocoa is always available."

"But I only drink it in winter. I don't work as hard during the winter months. After Christmas there's a lull. I don't need the caffeine from the coffee so I drink hot cocoa instead." Seto sipped the hot cocoa and moaned in pleasure.

Shizuka and Mokuba brought out the slices of cake and passed them around, and together they enjoyed the rest of their Christmas eve before Seto personally drove the two pairs of siblings to the Kaiba mansion where they'd spend the night as an extended family.

Yugi and Atem put the remaining cake in the refrigerator with the rest of the leftovers, popped some popcorn, slipped the DVD into the DVD player, and snuggled up on the couch under the blanket Yugi gave Atem.

The end.


End file.
